Washington, D.C.— While the country is clamoring for unity amidst the mass shooting at a synagogue and package bomb attacks, President Trump is on the attack again. In a speech today he announced plans to deploy the military to block asylum seekers and build tent cities to detain families with children.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, issues the following statement:

“We strongly condemn the President’s plan to deploy the military to block people from seeking asylum at our southern border and detain children and families in tent cities.

These are families and adults fleeing violence and extreme poverty who deserve a chance to live safely. Core to our values, we should be capable of processing these refugees for asylum fairly and treating individuals with the dignity they deserve.

After a week of hate crimes in the country, President Trump continues to perpetuate his principal agenda to cast immigrants and people of color as the enemy in order to grow support for his white nationalist agenda. As we’ve seen with past policies such as the Muslim and refugee ban to family separations at the border, the administration is blocking immigrants in every way possible.

We call on Congress to urge the President not to move forward with this illegal and immoral plan.”

Our mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society.